A/N: It has been a long time since I have written anything, so bear with me. I do not own Steven Universe or anything really.
-x-
It was a cooler day in Beach City. All traces of summer were gone, and signs of autumn were everywhere. The leaves were losing their deep green color, fading into oranges, reds, and browns. The summer breeze had quickly transformed into colder fall gusts.
Earths four seasons while predictable weren't always favorable. For gems like Pearl, harsh seasons like summer and winter weren't really pleasing. Autumn and spring's temperate weather was more relaxing. Not only did the seasons feel nicer but Pearl also felt they were aesthetically pleasing.
"We should really get back to the temple, Rose," Pearl looked at her companion, admiring how she looked with a light pink scarf wrapped around her neck.
The gems might not have needed to wear clothes to match the weather, but Rose always seemed to enjoy blending in with the humans as much as possible. Being so large and pink always made Rose stand out, but she enjoyed wearing things like jewelry on occasion. Sometimes in the winter, when her huge, unruly curls would allow, Rose would even manage to wear ear muffs.
"Wait," Rose replied excitedly, "There's something I would like to show you."
"Well, alright then," Pearl almost sighed. Something in Rose's tone made Pearl think this wasn't going to be one of Rose's secrets.
The gems turned a corner, and Rose stopped out front of a shop. The smaller shop was white on the outside with a large window displaying the goods. Pearl looked at the sign above the door which read bakery.
"You wanted to take me to a place that sells pastries?" Pearl asked her friend nervously.
"Yes," Rose said, a smile spreading across her face. "Wait here. I'll be back in a minute."
Rose opened the door to the bakery a ducked into the shop. As she entered a bell jingled, which Pearl always was a nice sound to accompany her friend.
Pearl didn't have to wait outside of the shop long. She walked past the large window and crossed her arms. She had no clue why Rose would be interested in showing her some kind of baked good, especially since she knew that Pearl had no interest in eating. There had been a handful of times where Rose had urged Pearl to try food, and not all of it tasted bad. Pearl just couldn't stand the process of eating and digesting food.
A moment later, the bell chimed again alerting Pearl that her Rose was back. Pearl looked to the entryway of the shop and watched Rose rush to her side. There was a box in Rose's hands.
"Come on, Pearl. There is a bench right over there," Rose pointed across to a bench not far from where they were standing.
"Um," Pearl replied.
Rose headed towards the bench before Pearl had a chance to protest. Pearl wanted more than anything to turn around and head back to the temple. Instead, her feet began to move in the direction of the bench. Even if she didn't like where things were going, she wasn't going to just up and leave Rose.
Once the gems got to the bench, they sat down together. Rose opened the box to reveal a pastry that smelled of apples and cinnamon. Pearl recognized the good as something called a pie. Humans seemed to really enjoy the food and the flavor always varied based on the filling. If Pearl remembered correctly, pies could have sweet or savory flavors. The pie that Rose had was already cut into eight pieces of equal size. Next to the pie was two forks made of plastic.
"Now, Rose, you know that I find eating to be uncomfortable," Pearl said unable to hide her disgust. Pearl looked from the pie to Rose, who looked on the verge of laughter.
"I know. I know. I just think this is something you would like," Rose looked down at the pie and picked up a fork. "I have tried a lot of different pies over the years and I figured you would like pumpkin or apple pie the most. Apple pie can be pretty sweet, but neither have tastes that are too overwhelming."
"Oh, Rose, that's so thoughtful," Pearl admitted, much to her distaste. "Still, eating is so horrible. Just think about how you are going to chew that food into mush and it's going to make its way through your body before coming out."
Pearl couldn't get another word out because Rose was chuckling so hard. Pearl watched as Rose closed her eyes and covered her chest with her free hand. The sound of Rose's laughter was so soft while sounding so genuine.
One of the things that Pearl loved about Rose was that no matter how gentle her voice, or laugh, or movement was, Rose meant it. She was passionate without being too boisterous. Pearl would always attempt to remain as calm as Rose when expressing things.
"Do you think I'd try to do something you would despise me for?" Rose asked. She took a bite of the pie and began to make noises like "mmm" to express that the pie was good.
"You know I could never despise you," Pearl clenched her hands into fists. She had to look away in order to hide a potential blush.
"Of course I know that," Rose chuckled again and picked up the other fork. "I would just like you to try the pie. I got this specific kind for your enjoyment."
"Ugh, Rose," Pearl groaned and took the fork from the pink gem. Pearl was sure she was going to regret this. Even when food was good, it was never really worth it. However, if it would really make Rose happy, Pearl was willing to try.
Pearl waited for a moment for a couple people to pass by the bench they were sitting on. She was definitely stalling as much as possible. Her hesitancy and anticipation was bringing sweat to her brow. When she looked in Rose's eyes, Pearl was able to see so much excitement.
'She did this for you, Pearl. Just get this over with,' Pearl urged herself.
It was almost as if the fork was moving through the air in slow motion. Pearl felt every second between her and the pie was dragging on for so long. Even breaking off a bite from the piece Rose had already eaten from took so much time. Watching the fork slice through the pastry was awful.
Finally, it was time to just go ahead and take the bite. Pearl opened her mouth and in went the fork. As she pulled the fork from her mouth, Pearl began to get the first taste of the sweet treat.
Rose Quartz looked on edge as she waited for Pearl to finish chewing and swallowing the pie. Pearl could have sworn her friend's eyes were twinkling in delight. When Pearl was done with the bite Rose smiled broadly.
"How do you like it?" Rose asked her smile not faltering a bit.
"Well, it isn't horrible," Pearl didn't want to admit that she had indeed enjoyed the pie. Getting Rose's hopes up that she had loved it could mean trouble for Pearl in the future.
"So you loved it?" Rose asked, knowing her friend was giving a modest answer.
Pearl sighed, "Yes, Rose, the pie is delicious. You weren't wrong."
"Yes," Rose nearly squealed. "It wasn't too sweet for you?"
"No, not too sweet," Pearl replied. "The sugar content is a bit much, but it wasn't something I couldn't handle."
"I'm so happy to hear that," Rose tilted her head and her smile softened.
In that moment, Rose looked sweeter than any pie Pearl could imagine. The nice feeling Rose always left Pearl with was amazing.
"So does this mean I can get you to eat the rest of this piece?" Rose asked pointing to the piece the two of them had already eaten from.
"Why not," Pearl said, a bit of surprise in her tone. "The damage has already been done anyways.
"Don't worry, Pearl," Rose laughed, "I'll eat a whole piece myself, so you won't be alone.
Pearl let herself laugh a bit with Rose. Even if she was going to have to deal with food passing through her body and eventual expulsion, she could still enjoy this moment. Pearl was sure there were plenty of humans who would have enjoyed experiencing this with someone meaningful. Even though the situation wasn't ideal, every moment spent with Rose was precious to Pearl.
The two were quiet for a moment. Both sat looking across at the shops, and people walking along the boardwalk, and people who couldn't help but glimpse at them. Occasionally, the gems would look at the pie and then each other.
"Wait," Pearl said when the two were nearly done with their portions. Rose looked at Pearl before she continued, "What is going to happen to the other half dozen pieces?"
"Hmm," Rose tilted her head. For a second she looked deep in her thought. "I guess I can give the rest to Amethyst. She'll eat just about anything."
Pearl chuckled in response. While Rose was willing to share the pie experience with Amethyst, Pearl knew that this was a moment that was just between the two of them. This may not have been some super secret Rose passed on to Pearl, but this was a special moment where Rose had sought out Pearl. This was one of the thoughtful gifts that Rose was giving to Pearl.
"Oh, Rose, you always know how to find the best thing in something that others would find to be awful."
-x-
A/N: I've always wondered what the gems did about money. Like how did Rose end up with that giant penny? Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read this.